Getting Wood Stove ready for Summer

What are some of the things you do to get your wood stove ready for the Summer season?

Some of the things I do are:

Clean glass one more time

Vacuum inside of stove and empty all ashes so it's completely clean

Close air inlet valve all the way on front of stove

Do any of you put a towel or cloth into your chimney liner tube as it comes out the top of your stove to prevent air flow leaving from your presumably air conditioned room and going up the chimney? I havent done this yet, and it's my 3rd year, but I wonder if I should try it. Just have to make sure you remember to pull it back out before you burn again in the fall.

We also put a DampRid container in our stove after a thorough cleaning. The Wife will usually also put in some Birch splits, or decrotive Candles to give ya something to look at thru the glass

*Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming - "WOW, What a ride !"

How do any of you determine that your chimney does/doesn't need to be cleaned?

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If you're new at this, you can safely assume your chimney will need to be cleaned at least once a year if you're burning with any regularity, and it may be more often than that.

In my first season, which just wrapped up, I had to clean my chimney liner mid-winter because, thanks to my mediocre (damp) wood supply, the screen at the top got clogged with creosote and the stove stopped working properly. I had to brush even more creosote off that screen again in late winter, and a week or so ago I did the full cleaning again just to make sure everything's ready to go again in the fall.

If everything is operating properly and the need for cleaning isn't obvious from the ground, inspecting means looking at the interior of the chimney, generally by getting on the roof or ladder, pulling off the cap and shining a flashlight down the opening. There are some people who do everything right -- maintain a supply of very dry wood, and operate their stoves very skillfully -- who can go several years between cleanings, but that's not me yet, and it's very probably not you either.

If you're new at this, you can safely assume your chimney will need to be cleaned at least once a year if you're burning with any regularity, and it may be more often than that.

In my first season, which just wrapped up, I had to clean my chimney liner mid-winter because, thanks to my mediocre (damp) wood supply, the screen at the top got clogged with creosote and the stove stopped working properly. I had to brush even more creosote off that screen again in late winter, and a week or so ago I did the full cleaning again just to make sure everything's ready to go again in the fall.

If everything is operating properly and the need for cleaning isn't obvious from the ground, inspecting means looking at the interior of the chimney, generally by getting on the roof or ladder, pulling off the cap and shining a flashlight down the opening. There are some people who do everything right -- maintain a supply of very dry wood, and operate their stoves very skillfully -- who can go several years between cleanings, but that's not me yet, and it's very probably not you either.

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+1

*Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming - "WOW, What a ride !"

Still burning once or twice a day . . . but when I do my final burn for the season . . .

-- Clean out all the ashes and vacuum it out
-- Clean the glass
-- Lubricate the air sliding mechanism
-- Clean the outside of the stove and hearth
-- Sweep the chimney
-- Put some baking soda and/or a candle inside the firebox to light if and when I get a reverse stack condition in the summer

Still burning once or twice a day . . . but when I do my final burn for the season . . .

-- Clean out all the ashes and vacuum it out
-- Clean the glass
-- Lubricate the air sliding mechanism
-- Clean the outside of the stove and hearth
-- Sweep the chimney
-- Put some baking soda and/or a candle inside the firebox to light if and when I get a reverse stack condition in the summer

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What does that mean, reverse stack condition in the summer? I'm not familiar...

It happens frequently to some, when the inside temp is cooler than the outside temp. Heat rises, cold air sinks.

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What he said . . . I sometimes see it happen once or twice in a summer . . . usually it's not a problem, but when it happens I don't particularly want to smell creosote so I just light the candle and let it burn for a bit to fix the draft.

Annual cleaning for us means cleaning out ashes but we do not normally vacuum the firebox. Then comes cleaning the catalyst and the glass.Then we check all gaskets. If any need changing (usually not) they get changed either right then or early fall.

Close the door and forget it until fall. We will then check the chimney but we have not cleaned it since the summer of 2009.

Stopped at the place where I sometimes get hardwood milled ends (figured I'd pick up a skid and toss it in the pile for next year) - they finally put a skid out on the sidewalk this morning but it was gone before I got there (@ 8:30 a.m.). Last couple years I didn't have much trouble - take the occasional drive by and I'd see something out on the curb, and I'd grab it. This year they're getting scooped up fast. I think some folks in the area are scrambling for wood now with the never ending winter.

But - its supposed to climb into the 50's this weekend - almost tropical.... I am already scrounging up the windblown and deadstanding stuff around the property. Got some empty pallets to fill up again, time's a wastin'....

Edit - sorry to the OP - the above was my long winded way of saying the stove isn't near shut-down mode just yet....

Osburn 2200
"I'm a man, but I can change, if I have to, I guess." [Red Green]
Careful with that axe, Eugene [Pink Floyd, "Relics"]

does that mean when it is not cold enough to burn around the clock you have to start from cold those couple of times?

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I start new fires daily this time of year and this is where it's great to use Super Cedars.. From a cold start my stove is ready in under 1/2 hr. every time.. When the cold weather rolls around then I just reload after raking the coals forward..

does that mean when it is not cold enough to burn around the clock you have to start from cold those couple of times?

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Yup . . . gives me a chance to burn up all those pine cones my wife insisted I collect in the past few years . . . and while I love my Super Cedars for the quick and fast fire . . . I will admit that the pine cones work pretty well since I'm not in as much of a rush to get things going. I am using up quite a bit of kindling -- but I have a crapload of kindling as well . . .